music

It starts with you!

Get career ready with us and unlock your potential today, view our range of Music courses and apply to study at the No.1 Further Education College in Greater Manchester for achievement*.

Aged 16-18? Apply now

Aged 19+? Apply now

Industry standard pro gear

You’ll take your next step towards an exciting career in the music industry in the incredible facilities that we boast at our City Campus Manchester.

Our professional standard studios are unparalleled, our technology and equipment is state-of-the-art and our performance spaces are first class.

They include six recording studios, professional, industry-specification band rooms, DJ mixing booths and specialist recording equipment! You’ll also have access to rehearsal spaces where you can perfect your performance and six Mac suites running industry software such as Logic, Sibelius and Ableton, where you can fine tune your recordings.

Explore our amazing new facilities

Play for the masses

Our students regularly light up venues across the city, including at the relentlessly successful and highly innovative Band on the Wall, where our musicians host and collaborate on a whole range of pro-level activities and real-life industry standard activities and performances.

We don't just send you out on stage with no preparation. You’ll get to spruce up your material in our suite of rehearsal rooms and two purpose-built theatres at City Campus Manchester. That's if you’re not putting your talents to use in one of the recording studios.

Experience a career

When you study music at The Manchester College you will have the opportunity to immerse yourself in the world-renowned Manchester and North-West music scene.

Our music department has long-standing links with a full ensemble of industry partners, and we work in perfect harmony to open the doors that enable you to experience an exciting career in this thriving sector. 

We work with a broad range of the City's venues, seeing us create an impressive backlog of gigs that we have supported our students to produce. And for all the fun this can be it is also an amazing opportunity to experience what working in the industry is like!

Some of the music industry partners and venues we work with include:

• Band on the Wall
• The Bridgewater Hall
• Contact Theatre
• Pie Radio
• Reform Radio
• Warehouse Project
• ThisIsNQ

When you take a music course at The Manchester College, you’ll be taught by a team that doesn’t just talk the talk but has actually walked the walk. With experience that spans decades, and touches almost every corner of the music industry, your tutors still maintain close industry links that keep us at the cutting edge of the sectors latest developments.

Maria Foran - Assistant Principal

Maria taught Visual Arts courses across our Creative Industries department before becoming our Assistant Principal in 2024.

Initially graduating in Textile Design, she played a lead role in founding the ground-breaking collaborative project, Future Creatives with Manchester Art Gallery, which our students now benefit from each year.

Lucy Oldham - Head of Department

Lucy has been working in arts education for 16 years, first as teacher then curriculum manager. She started life as an actress and singer with 10 years touring and rep theatre which took her far and wide.
She fell in love with working with young people through that time and has specialist experience of working with students who find traditional educational environments a challenge.
Lucy is focused on ensuring equity and equality of opportunities within the Performing Arts and Music for all the communities of Greater Manchester and is dedicated to championing young artists and enabling them to forge their way in the industry.

Rose Durbin - Department Team Leader

Rose has worked in the music industry since 1991 as a musician and sound engineer. She has collaborated with renowned and emerging artists worldwide, participating in tours, gigs, and festivals. Specializing in live sound, Rose ensures memorable performances through her technical expertise. For over 20 years, she has also taught music technology, focusing on live sound, employability, and recording techniques. Rose emphasizes hands-on learning, preparing students for real-world challenges. Passionate about industry engagement, she is dedicated to sharing her knowledge and experience.

Kerry Kawai - Course Leader

Kerry has worked for the college for 17 years in Performing Arts and still directs and produces shows in and around the North West and worked as an actor for 10 years  prior to this. She spent some time producing successful club nights in London alongside a team of creatives and did a lot of. promotional work

Steve Smith - Tutor

Steve has worked on several projects throughout his career as a freelance sound designer and computer games composer, as a studio sound engineer and an events manager working in partnership in the live sound festival circuit for the communities of Manchester. Steve has also released music close to his heart that is Jungle / DnB and cannot pass a set of decks without “having a go”. 

Paul Beevers - Tutor

Paul specialises in guitar and performance. He has been involved in the Lancaster music scene for longer than he cares to remember, and has played in various bands over the years at festivals across Europe. 

Paul currently plays numerous gigs each year as guitarist and bouzouki player in North West-based ceilidh band Price of My Pig. 

Rosie Fortune - Tutor

Rosie has worked at the college for over 10 years and specialises in vocal technique and group performance.

She brings a wealth of industry knowledge to the classroom where she shares her first hand and current experience of the music industry with learners. She is an accomplished vocalist who performs regularly with funk, soul and disco band, Dreamer, playing floor fillers from the 70’s, 80’s and 90’s at major venues across the North West. Rosie continues to attend courses and masterclasses, ensuring she is best placed to teach and coach vocalists to ensure they stand out from the crowd.

Lee Gizon - Tutor

Lee has over 25 years of experience playing and recording in live bands all over Europe, including established acts such as Muse, Arctic Monkeys and the 1975. 

His music and videos have been played all over the world most recently on Radio 1, 6 Music, Radio Lancashire and MTV2.

As well as teaching Music Performance and Technology, he is still recording and performing all over the UK.

Mark McKinley - Tutor

Mark started his DJing career at the age of 15 playing venues such as Sequins, Fantazia, Mythology and the legendary Hacienda, where he won the North West DMC DJ Championships. He’s also DJ’d across the world in Malia, Ibiza, Brussels and in the US as well as at Glastonbury.

Mark has produced his own music with his DJ group, The Mix Factory, who charted in the UK singles chart and also gained success in the American charts.

Mak Dawson - Tutor

After graduating our Music Performance course in 2013, Mak is returning with a specialism in popular music songwriting. Mak has been working and performing with established touring acts around the UK and Europe including stages at major UK festivals.

Mak has also taken various roles in the music industry in Manchester, London and Leeds, and is now working to produce brand new records from upcoming bands here in Manchester.

Chris Thomas - Tutor

Chris is a soulful DJ, electronic musician and artist from Bradford who has been providing music to the jazz, soul, house and funk crowd for several years. Chris enjoys making and selecting exciting and danceable music which can keep people moving all night. He is also an avid vinyl collector with thousands of records, as well as large digital music collections.

Jordan Peacock - Tutor

Jordan started out as a DJ in 2011, entering both the DMC and IDA DJ championships and since 2015 has won 7 national finals in various categories. Doing this has allowed him to work with the DJ equipment brand RANE as a RANE artist and he has been a beta tester for Numark. Jordan has been working in education since 2017 in different settings and is still actively working in the music industry through DJing, performing live sets and releasing his own music.

Tom Burford - Tutor

Tom specialises in music production, DJing and live electronic performance. As an artist Tom has released music on record labels including Rhythm Section International, Shall Not Fade and Band on the Wall, as well as remixing artists such as Azymuth’s Ivan Conti, and being remixed by the likes of Ross From Friends.

Tom has toured around Japan, Europe and East Africa, performing at venues and festivals including Nyege Nyege, The Warehouse Project and London’s Royal Albert Hall. Tom also holds down a long-standing residency on NTS radio.

Richard Walker - Tutor

Richard Walker is a music producer and songwriter specialising in rap, drill, R&B and Afrobeats. He has had success in the industry securing several tracks with Universal Music and Warner Brothers which have been aired globally on shows like Sky Sports, Channel 4 and the BBC. Richard also has a degree in Music Technology and a PGCE qualification.

In addition to courses for 16 to 18-year-olds, we also offer courses for adults in Music Technology and Production.

Our Level 1 and 2 courses are delivered one evening per week with two intakes each year: September to December and January to May.

Find out more about our adult courses and apply today:

Level 2 Music Technology and Production

Intro to Music Technology and Production

The Manchester College is committed to ensuring all our students receive the support they may need to achieve and enjoy college. We do this in a number of different ways including:

• Student Experience Support Team
• Careers Employability & Welfare
• Pastoral Support Officers
• Supported Learning

We also offer a bespoke transition service to new applicants with an Education Health and Care Plan (EHCP), accessibility or medical need.

Find out more about our student support offer:

Find out even more about our Music department in our subject area guide or on our YouTube playlist:

Download our subject area guide

Watch our YouTube playlist

Stay up-to-date with everything that's going on in our Music department via social media:

Follow us on Instagram

Start something new with our Adult Education courses for 19+ starting in 2024/25! 

Browse our wide range of courses and apply now.

Browse 19+ adult courses